He’s been Carmel High principal for 14 years. Lots has changed — except for this

Principal John Williams, who is retiring after 15 years at Carmel High School, reflects on a long career in the education field: what influenced him, what has changed in education and what he hopes will stay the same.
Jenna Watson/IndyStar

Retiring principal John Williams says you don't have to know all 5,000 names for the students to know you care

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Principal John Williams poses for a picture at Carmel High School in Carmel, Ind., Tuesday, April 18, 2017. After fourteen years at Carmel High School, Williams will retire at the end of this school year. (Photo: Jenna Watson/IndyStar)Buy Photo

Now students access all of their materials online through the school's learning management system. They can message their teachers and follow the district on Twitter for announcements.

Carmel High looks for ways to teach students to use technology responsibly, Williams said, and administrators are constantly updating blocked websites and adding layers of supervision. Last summer, the staff met to discuss Pokémon Go.

But some things are still the same.

Every morning Williams still stands outside the administration offices, shaking students hands. It's one of the first things his former students bring up.

"Getting a handshake from Mr. Williams is a big deal," said Mary Caltrider, who graduated in 2016.

If you were lucky, he'd also be passing out doughnuts, she said. Or he'd snap a picture with you while dressed up for a theme day during Homecoming Week. His Dumbledore costume is legendary among students.

It's the same because, despite smartphones, Facebook and Snapchat, Williams says the core of what he does has stayed the same: caring about students.

And yes, he said, you can care in a school of 5,000.

"That idea of knowing everybody's name is kind of an urban legend," he said. "You don't have to know their name or where they live or how many brothers or sisters they have to care about them."

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Principal John Williams welcomes students as they head to classes at Carmel High School in Carmel, Ind., Friday morning, April 21, 2017. Williams stands in the same spot every morning, for a chance to greet students and chat with teachers and staff.(Photo: Jenna Watson/IndyStar)

How it all started

Williams recalls his first day on the job in 2003 similarly to how some former students remember meeting him. There were nerves, but the rest isn't as vivid.

Williams was coming from Harrison High School in Evansville, where he taught for 26 years before serving as assistant principal for seven and principal for three. He was born and raised in Evansville but knew the Carmel community had high standards for the high school. Back then there were about 3,800 students, but it had a reputation of success.

Over the years, he added to that status as Carmel grew, bringing in the International Baccalaureate program and overseeing the addition of the Freshman Center — a wing where ninth-graders take core classes and have their own cafeteria — and fitness center.

He mentions these as his greatest accomplishments. He seems most proud of improving curriculum and opportunities for students as the school grew while maintaining a sense of history and tradition.

But that isn't what students remember about him.

They remember the guy who believed in them, who helped them get into college, or, in Ansel Nalin's case, who taught him how to lose.

Nalin, a 2010 graduate, ran for student body president at the end of his junior year but lost after a rigorous campaign. He was crushed.

"I remember talking to Mr. Williams probably that same day because I felt like I had let him down, let everyone else down," Nalin said. "I just remember him saying, 'You’re always going to put in the maximum effort you can give into things that you care about, and that doesn’t always mean it’s going to work out.'"

The important part is to put in effort and show people you care, Nalin remembers Williams saying.

"'If you always do that, it will be really, really hard to let other people down.'"

Nalin still reminds himself of this advice. Now the Notre Dame graduate is in medical school at Ohio State University and working on his master's and Ph.D.

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Principal John Williams poses for a picture at Carmel High School in Carmel, Ind., Tuesday, April 18, 2017. After fourteen years at Carmel High School, Williams will retire at the end of this school year.
Jenna Watson/IndyStar

Carmel High School Principal John Williams jumps into the with members of the girls swim team who had just won its 23rd consecutive girls state swimming championship, a new national record, at the 2009 ISHAA Girls Swimming & Diving Championship at the IUPUI Natatorium Saturday February 14, 2009.
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Carmel High School Principal John Williams threw out the first ball for the first varsity home game of the season, as Carmel defeated Westfield 2-1 at Carmel Tuesday March 29, 2011.
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Carmel High School principal John Williams congratulates students after a performance at the District Maching Band competition at Lawrence Central on Saturday evening, October 4, 2008.
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Carmel High School's principal, John Williams, addresses the audience and graduates during the ceremony. Carmel High School held their graduation for the 2010 class of seniors Monday, May 31, 2010 at The Pepsi Coliseum in Indianapolis.
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Kristine Cohn (left), from the U.S. Dep't. of Education, Region 5, presents Carmel High School Principal John Williams and school superintendent Barb Underwood with a Federal Blue Ribbon School award Thuersday morning, September 30, 2004, at CHS.
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The annual Greyhound Kick-off, the day-long freshmen orientation program at CHS, took place Friday, August 12, 2005. The kids got a chance to see the school, check-out schedules and learn about all the different programs, clubs, etc., that are available for students. Here, principal John Williams addresses the students gathered in the auditorium.
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Principal John Williams welcomes students as they head to classes at Carmel High School in Carmel, Ind., Friday morning, April 21, 2017. Williams stands in the same spot every morning, for a chance to greet students and chat with teachers and staff.
Jenna Watson/IndyStar

Principal John Williams visits an automotive mechanics class led by Zach Jones at Carmel High School in Carmel, Ind., Tuesday, April 18, 2017. After fourteen years at Carmel High School, Williams will retire at the end of this school year.
Jenna Watson/IndyStar

Principal John Williams visits a few classes at Carmel High School in Carmel, Ind., Tuesday, April 18, 2017. After fourteen years at Carmel High School, Williams will retire at the end of this school year.
Jenna Watson/IndyStar

Principal John Williams visits a television production class led by Anna Kaiser Carmel High School in Carmel, Ind., Tuesday, April 18, 2017. After fourteen years at Carmel High School, Williams will retire at the end of this school year.
Jenna Watson/IndyStar

Principal John Williams visits an automotive mechanics class led by Zach Jones at Carmel High School in Carmel, Ind., Tuesday, April 18, 2017. Williams takes a closer look inside a 1946 Chevrolet pickup truck that the students are working on. After fourteen years at Carmel High School, Williams will retire at the end of this school year.
Jenna Watson/IndyStar

Principal John Williams welcomes students as they head to classes at Carmel High School in Carmel, Ind., Friday morning, April 21, 2017. Williams stands in the same spot every morning, for a chance to greet students and chat with teachers and staff.
Jenna Watson/IndyStar

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What's next

The district is in the process of hiring a new principal, accepting applications through April 28. Spokeswoman Courtney Taylor said the goal is to have the new principal in place before next school year.

As for Williams, he plans to travel and spend more time with his wife, Paula, and five children. They're expecting their sixth and seventh grandchild this spring and summer. In the end, the 61-year-old said it was his age that made him retire. If he were younger, he said he'd keep going.

After 40 years in education and 14 leading Carmel High School, Williams' advice for his replacement is simple: "Fall in love with this place. … Don't come in to fix or change, come in to be a part of."

And for parents: "Trust your school, become a part of your school, make sure that what's happening at your school is part of your family."